Dear members,
Greetings everyone. It’s been a bit longer than usual since my last message due to the calendar, however I hope that everyone is enjoying the spring weather. The PAFSO Team continues to remain busy.
New PAFSO Labour Relations Officer
I am pleased to welcome aboard our newest addition to the LRA team, Romy Chérubin. Romy comes to us with an extensive background in labour relations, including arbitration and negotiation. Romy started with the PAFSO LRA team at the end of May and is eager to work with our members to find resolutions to their concerns.
Changes to Mission Hardship Ratings Calculations
As many of you will be aware, the Employer recently revised its approach to establishing and updating the hardship levels assigned to posts abroad. The new approach will see data being collected and provided by a third-party contractor in order to assess relevant conditions, rather than relying on survey data as was done in the past. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs remains responsible for setting hardship levels based on this data and assessments from interdepartmental committees and other GAC and government staff.
The new hardship levels have now been posted and came into effect June 1st. PAFSO analysis shows that hardship levels were updated for 68 posts. Hardship levels for 23 posts decreased (2 by 2 steps), while the level for 45 posts increased (4 by 2 steps.) We understand that Heads of Mission, as well as managers in the FSD division will be in a position to answer any questions about the methodology change.
PAFSO attendance at SUBRAC PSI Meeting – May 27 & 28
I had the pleasure of representing PAFSO at the Subregional Action Committee (SUBRAC) of Public Services International (PSI) held in Montreal. Public Services International is a united group of trade unionists and workers created to link the struggles of the working class around the world. The meeting had union representatives from Canada, the US and Latin America who discussed shared challenges and the wider global context in which trade unions are working.
PAFSO is one of the smallest unions in the organisation with many having over 300,000 members, however the challenges faced, and solutions found, apply to all. The attack on unions and the move to the right (and far right) in politics affects workers at all levels and banding together to oppose oppressive legislation can be an effective tool to ensure that public workers receive labour rights, decent working conditions and involvement in the management of the services they deliver.
There were some interesting presentations, and I made some good connections which will be an excellent resource for PAFSO as we move forward on complicated files and address an increasingly difficult environment in which to function as a union. PAFSO has been a member of PSI for some time, and this is the first opportunity I have had to attend one of their meetings, but I hope to make it a more regular occurrence in the future.
Changes to the Canada Labour Code (CLC)
As follow-on to my report on the PSI meeting where this new legislation was discussed, many of you may have heard about the changes proposed to the Canada Labour Code as reported on CBC on May 23. PAFSO is not immediately affected by these proposed changes to the CLC as labour relations and core standards for PAFSO and the rest of the federal PS are governed primarily by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act (FPSLRA). Only Parts II and IV of the Code apply to PAFSO. (Part II covers occupational health and safety and Part IV deals with monetary penalties for OHS violations.)
That said, the NJC Bargaining Agents (BAs) are very concerned by the prospect of these CLC amendments and the current government’s focus on “industrial peace,” especially in combination with WFA and other austerity measures and recent legislative attacks on labour rights in several provinces, notably Ontario and Alberta. Assuming the changes come into being, we can probably expect similar proposals related to the FPSLRA in the next 18-24 months.
To date, PSAC and CUPE, the two major federal BAs who have members in sectors that fall primarily under the Code, have been taking the lead on responding, there will likely be some form of joint action proposed soon at which point PAFSO will evaluate our position and actions moving forward.
AmbCanada–CIPS Conference – June 18
AmbCanada and the Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS) is hosting a conference entitled “Realities and Illusions of Canadian Foreign Policy” at the University of Ottawa on June 18, 2026 This conference will bring together former Canadian Heads of Mission, academic experts, and think tank analysts to discuss critical issues facing Canada and the world. The event will be open to the public, with options to attend in person (space is limited) or via livestream. The conference recording will be posted subsequently on the AmbCanada and CIPS websites.
There is a $50 participation fee and more information on the program and registration links can be found here.
GAC Check-In – Last Chance
We have been asked by GAC to encourage our members to participate in Round 6 of the GAC Check-in survey, which we realize closes today. If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to make your voice heard. Key points were included in the recent broadcast message, including how feedback is used, why participation matters, and what is new in this round. Importantly round 6 results will be analyzed using an equity-informed lens to better understand trends across groups and contexts. All questions are optional, including demographic questions, and responses are anonymous and reported in aggregate. You access the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/HH9D2D6.
Reminder: Promoting Self-Identification Questionnaire
I encourage our members to use the new self-identification questionnaire, now accessible through the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada (TBS) Application Portal, This aims to allow for the adoption of a fully inclusive, transparent, respectful, and collaborative approach. This questionnaire, developed and hosted by TBS, is a key public service initiative to improve data quality, better understand workforce composition, and support concrete actions related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The deadline for freedback is Wednesday, June 10.
Webinar on FSDs and Your First Posting – June 10 at noon Ottawa time
Please join me and Paul Raven on Wednesday, June 10, at noon EDT for a webinar on the Foreign Service Directives, focussing on what you need to know for your first posting. Although the session will be targeted towards early career officers and their families, it will also be a valuable refresher for those who have been out before.
You can register for the webinar here:
As always, should you have any other concerns at work, do not hesitate to reach out to us. That’s what we’re here for. Are you having issues with your pay? Do you feel harassed or discriminated against? Do you have a grievance or a staffing complaint? Or do you just want some clarifications on our collective agreement or the FSDs? Whatever the case, PAFSO is here for you. Just send us an email with your name, department and a detailed description of your concerns. You can click here to learn more about all the member services PAFSO has to offer. For anything and everything else, please send us an email at info@pafso.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Until next time, please take care of yourselves and each other.
Pamela Isfeld
President of PAFSO